12 Watches That Made Their Debut at Geneva Watch Days

The seventh edition of Geneva Watch Days opened September 2 and ran through the 6th, with 68 brands participating—more than the 65 brands at Watches and Wonders at the Geneva Palexpo last April. GWD was more festival than trade show, spread out across the city in boutiques, hotel suites along the Quai du Montblanc, and event spaces in the Old Town. Its focal point was a pavilion with an outdoor reception area and an event and seminar space called the Blue Box, situated on the Geneva waterfront. The five-day event included workshops, panel discussions, guided tours, seminars, auctions, and receptions. The stars of the show, however, were the new watch introductions. Here’s a look at a dozen new timepieces that made their debut that week in Geneva.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Dual Timer x Vianney Halter

The fact that this watch could genuinely read as either an Octo Finissimo or a Vianney Halter is surely the sign of a successful collaboration. It’s a merger that preserves the signature elements of each: the rigorous geometry of the Octo Finissimo case with a movement made for the model, and the steam punk-like design, industrial details, multiple displays, and three-dimensional architectural complexity (the case consists of 50 components) of independent watchmaker Vianney Halter. It’s limited to 30 pieces in titanium, priced at $80,000, and 15 in 18-karat pink gold, at $123,000.

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt

Daniel Roth’s newest watch is here. The “gilt” in the timepiece’s name refers to the dial finish, created largely by hand following a multi-step technique that involves guilloché engraving and silicon pad transferral, along with electroplating and other treatments. The result is a unique 3-D effect that goes beyond simple pad printing or engraving. The case is 18-karat rose gold, and it comes on a black leather strap. Powered by the manual wound caliber DR002, the watch is priced at a cool $76,500.

Alto Art 02

The Art 02 design embraces the seamless integration of case, bracelet, and faceted sapphire crystalSapphire CrystalAn extremely scratch-resistant, clear, transparent material used to cover luxury watch dials, produced synthetically from aluminum oxide. Sapphire crystal ranks near diamond in hardness, and it keeps a watch faceGo to Sapphire Crystal Glossary in what Alto calls a “monobloc construction.” It contains a manufacture movement, the A01 micro-rotor caliber, developed in collaboration with Le Cercle des Horlogers, a workshop that makes Speake Marin’s movements. That movement drives a counter-clockwise running seconds hand, an Alto signature that began with its inaugural watch, the Art 01. The model is priced at 13,000 euros (about $15,000) with a titanium case.

Gerald Charles Masterlink Atelier Edition

The focus of Gerald Charles’s two-hand/no index watch is the dial, which is hammered by hand on a Maillechort (nickel silver) plate by applying hundreds of highly controlled impacts. No two pieces are alike. The central links of the lower half of the integrated bracelet follow the curve of the lower case. Gerald Charles will make 25 pieces, priced at $31,000, in each of three colors: golden rose, rhodium, and golden yellow.

Gerald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater Golden Obsidian

The Geneva collection, which takes its name from the city where the brand was founded in 1969, reflects the union of technical precision and meticulous case construction. The 40 mm, cushion-shaped case is 3N yellow gold, which is suited to minute repeaters because of its acoustic properties, giving the sound warmth and purity. The golden obsidian dial reveals subtle gold highlights, and no two are alike. This model will cost $424,000.

Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph Tribute to Miles Davis

This retro design is inspired by the 1960s Breitling Navitimer ref. 806 Mk5, worn by Miles Davis. The manual caliber B09 is a nod to an era when automatic chronographChronographA watch complication that incorporates a stopwatch function, controlled by pushers on the case and displayed on small subdials. Originally developed for timing events, the chronograph remains popular for itsGo to Chronograph Glossary movements didn’t exist. The 41 mm case is steel, with a rally inspired “Air Racer” bracelet with round vents, or a gradient brown calf leather strap. It’s limited to 500 pieces, and a three-piece boxed set includes versions in stainless steel, 18-karat yellow gold, and platinum. On the bracelet alone, the model is priced at $9,600, the strap, $8,900. The entire boxed set will run you $96,400.

Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport

The Solo Sport is the first Chronomaster that is a three-hand rather than a chronographChronographA watch complication that incorporates a stopwatch function, controlled by pushers on the case and displayed on small subdials. Originally developed for timing events, the chronograph remains popular for itsGo to Chronograph Glossary version of the iconic El Primero movement, emphasizing the caliber’s defining feature: 5 Hz or 36,000 vph. The goal is to offer a model with the famed movement at a more accessible price point: $9,800 without date and $10,900 with date, compared to $12,000 and up for chronographs. The dial has a repeated 45° Z motif to evoke the frequency and vibration of the movement. There are four variations with steel cases and ceramic bezels and dials.

Urwerk UR-150 Golden Scorpion

This version of the UR-150, priced at $140,000, is 2N yellow goldYellow GoldA warm, precious alloy of pure gold mixed with copper and silver, used in watches and jewelry for its traditional luxurious look. Yellow gold has returned to fashion in vintage-inspiredGo to Yellow Gold Glossary, with a sandblasted, microbead-blasted, and satin finish that brings out the lines and ridges of the case. The automatic UR-50.01 movement drives three hour satellites that travel across a central flying carousel. A retrograde hand tracks minutes along a 240-degree arc before snapping back instantly to its starting point—an action that takes place in one hundredth of a second.

Speake Marin Tourbillon Royal Blue

The upper plate flange and some movement components are finished with a Royal Blue PVD treatment, Speake Marin’s emblematic color, inspired by Pantone 287 C. The openings and indications unfold across several levels on the openworked dial, with a flying tourbillonTourbillonA watch complication invented around 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that rotates the escapement in a cage to counter the effects of gravity on accuracy. Tourbillons are mesmerizing and very difficultGo to Tourbillon Glossary uniquely positioned at 1:30 and a power-reserve indicator at 7:30. The 42 mm Piccadilly case is red gold. It is a numbered limited edition of five pieces, set at $121,600.

L. Leroy Vox Temporis

This design is directly inspired by a historic Leroy tact watch created in 1810, today preserved at the Patek PhilippePatek PhilippeA Swiss watchmaker founded in Geneva in 1839 and widely regarded as among the most prestigious in the world, known for complications, hand finishing, and its slogan about passing watchesGo to Patek Philippe Glossary Museum. It allowed the hours and half-hours to be read discreetly by touch. The style is a recurring theme in the maison’s contemporary creations, most recently with the Bal du Temps model. The Vox Temporis—Latin for “the Voice of Time”—has a single hand and a rotating dial, finished in a radial guilloché flinque pattern. The minutes are revealed on demand through its minute repeater mechanism. L. Leroy will make 15 pieces total in each customers’ choice of red gold, platinum, or titanium. Price on request.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty Tourbillon

The Laureato is a typical midcentury sports watch from the same golden era as the Patek Philippe Nautilus and IWC Ingenieur. But here it works as an elegant tourbillonTourbillonA watch complication invented around 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that rotates the escapement in a cage to counter the effects of gravity on accuracy. Tourbillons are mesmerizing and very difficultGo to Tourbillon Glossary—part dress watch, part sports watch, and part complication. The dial, with a Clous de Paris pattern, is available in blue enamel or solid gold. The pattern is broken only by the brand’s signature white gold Bridge over the tourbillon carriage. The price for the pink-gold dial is set at $95,600, while the blue-enamel dial is priced at $100,000.

Ming 57.05 Comet

This world timer has a first-of-its-kind system for adjusting for daylight saving time (DST). The cities are divided according to whether they observe daylight saving time. Those that don’t remain fixed on the inner bezel, while those that observe it are positioned on a separate outer bezel. Rotating the outer bezel a single click moves only the relevant cities forward by one hour against the 24-hour scale. A multi-layered dial with an overlapping grid creates an ever-changing pattern. Triple-stepped lugs on the steel case are a Ming signature. This 200-piece steel version is the watchmaker’s most accessible world time watch to date; and it’s priced from $9,750 on a leather strap and $10,875 on Ming Polymesh on Ming’s website.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.